Technical Field
This invention relates generally to electrochemical cells, and more particularly to electrochemical cell assemblies.
Background Art
The use of portable electronic devices, be they smartphones, gaming devices, or multimedia devices, is becoming a ubiquitous part of life. Users of such devices rely upon them not only for communication, but also to maintain to-do lists, surf the Internet, maintain personal and business calendars, view videos, listen to audio recordings, and to stay up-to-date with friends, family, and co-workers. Such devices are used so readily, in large part, due to their portability. Portable energy sources like rechargeable batteries eliminate the need to be continually tethered to a power outlet and allow users to take devices with them wherever they may go.
Each battery, be it rechargeable or primary, relies on an electrochemical cell for energy storage. While there may be other components in the battery pack, including circuit boards, mechanical assemblies, circuits including charging components, fuel gauging circuits, temperature measurement circuits, and indicator circuits, the primary function of the a battery is to store and release energy. Energy is stored and released by the electrochemical cell within the battery.
Each electrochemical cell includes a cathode and an anode. The two are electrically isolated by a separator. The cathode and anode offer a current path into or away from the electrochemical cell. The anode and cathode assembly are generally either wound in a “jellyroll” configuration or laminated in a stack.
There is a tension in modern electronic design between the desire to make electronic devices smaller while, at the same time, providing sufficient energy density to provide satisfactory battery “run time.” Consequently, space can be limited within the housing of an electronic device to accommodate the satisfactory energy storage capacity. It would be advantageous to have a battery offering the device designer more flexibility in allocating space within an electronic device without sacrificing energy storage capacity.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.